Films by Country

Japan

#Manhole

Kazuyoshi Kumakiri

A man is trapped after falling down a manhole in this delightfully bonkers single-space survival thriller from Japan that keeps the twists and surprises coming thick and fast until the very end.

Animation for Kids 8+

Get ready for your annual wintery fix of animated inventiveness from all corners of our big wide world.

Monster

Kaibutsu

Kore-eda Hirokazu

Straight from Cannes where its intricately composed script was deservedly awarded, Kore-eda Hirokazu’s latest is a deeply affecting and morally complex drama told from multiple perspectives.

The Munekata Sisters

Munekata kyōdai

Ozu Yasujiro

Screening here for the first time in a stunning 4K restoration, one of Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu’s most elusive and under-viewed films, made working as a director-for-hire for Toho.

Perfect Days

Wim Wenders

Wim Wenders hits the sweet spot with this deceptively simple character study chronicling the daily life of a Tokyo cleaner, which is emotionally resonant in its stunning attention to detail and filmic poetry.

Plan 75

Hayakawa Chie

This quietly devastating debut depicts a dystopian near-future Japan where the government implements a programme of voluntary euthanasia for those over 75 as the solution for a rapidly aging population.

River

Ribā, nagarenaideyo

Junta Yamaguchi

The team behind festival hit Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (NZIFF 2021) return with an ingenious comedy in which the staff at a traditional hot springs hotel are trapped in a time loop that repeats every two minutes.

Shin Ultraman

Shinji Higuchi

An irony-free kaiju blockbuster that simultaneously pays respectful homage to the original Ultraman mythos while re-energising the beloved character with kinetic high-tech filmmaking.